Overworking CC gives Brew Crew best shot at playoffs

That the Brewers are pushing boundaries was clear going back to Aug. 18, when then-manager Ned Yost allowed him to pitch a complete game -- and reach 130 pitches -- despite the Brewers' easy 9-3 cruise over Houston.

What's also clear as the Brewers head into their final five games is that the only way they are going to squeeze into the playoffs is if Sabathia carries an unfairly heavy share of the load. Ben Sheets' health is an issue, Jeff Suppan is gassed (he was yanked from his scheduled start Wednesday for Sabathia) and the bullpen is undependable.

"He's not going to get abused," Sveum says. "There's no doubt in my mind that if we signed him, if we had him for six more years, we'd be doing the same thing. Whether people like it or not, that's not my problem and it's not CC's problem. The reality of it is the Milwaukee Brewers getting to the playoffs."

Desperation? Yes.

Panic? Absolutely, starting a week ago when the Brewers made the unprecedented move by a team in contention for the playoffs when they fired Yost with just 12 games remaining, a move that is widely viewed around the club as owner Mark Attanasio's decision.

When the Brewers were last at home, on Sept. 10, they held a four-game lead in the NL wild-card race and were swimming in playoff tickets (that lead was 5½ games on Aug. 31).

Since they've been gone, they've coughed up that wild-card lead, fired their manager, removed a coach (Ted Simmons) and knocked off a 2-8 road trip. A team that was 24 games over .500 on Aug. 31 is 6-15 in September.

For the 36,612 filling Miller Park and wildly waving white rally towels Tuesday, and for the Brewers themselves, it was a completely different world from the one the last time these fans viewed their team at home.

"It's been totally, I don't know ... strange," hitting coach Jim Skaalen says.

"We're very fortunate to be where we are," infielder Bill Hall says.

Around baseball, people are horrified by Yost's firing in the manner of a quiet neighborhood that has just witnessed a double homicide. Talk to managers and coaches on other clubs and the general feeling is, if a manager of a team in contention with just 12 games left isn't safe, who is?

"Unfortunately for Ned, three weeks of baseball pretty much got him fired," Hall says.

It was an unusual sight Tuesday, Sveum occupying the home manager's office in Miller Park. In a nice touch, clubhouse manager Tony Miggliaccio already had framed and hung the lineup card from Sveum's first victory as a manager, Sunday in Cincinnati.

"It's strange," says Sveum, who arrived at the park at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, roughly 90 minutes earlier than when he was one of the coaches. "First time I've ever been in that bathroom. Ned's a good friend of mine, and it was strange to sit down in the manager's chair.

"You go through those emotions, as well as being home, seeing all of the clubhouse kids you're close to. Things have changed. It was a little different walking into Miller Park, and you're the manager."

The biggest change Sveum has made since replacing Yost is installing center fielder Mike Cameron as his leadoff hitter, and that's gone about as well as everything else for the Brewers in September. Since moving atop the lineup, Cameron was batting .111 (3-for-27) with 12 strikeouts. He was 0-for-4 with four whiffs Sunday.

Yet in another tribute to the patience of Miller Park fans, who were incredibly genteel given the Brewers' second swan dive in two seasons, they didn't even voice any displeasure when Tuesday's lineups were revealed and ... Cameron, with that .326 on-base percentage, still was batting leadoff.

Sveum's reasoning for not changing was two-fold: Cameron is a streak hitter and "you want him to get hot", and, "he's absolutely killed the Pirates this year."

He did crack two doubles and reached base a total of three times against the Pirates. Maybe this is the beginning of one of those hot streaks.

"He's my leadoff hitter till death do us part, and whatever happens, happens," Sveum said afterward.

Following Fielder's game-winning smash, the interim skipper said he thinks his club's confidence is as high as it's been all year.

"The road trip, I think we played good baseball," Fielder says. "Things just happened. Tonight gets things looking pretty good again. Now we have CC going tomorrow, and it looks even better."